Adair County is a county in Kentucky, United States, roughly 55 miles east of Bowling Green and 95 miles south of Louisville. It had a population of 18,903 at the 2020 census, an estimated 19,089 by 2024, and covers 412 square miles (1,070 km2) centred near 37°07′N 85°17′W.
Columbia is the county seat and the county’s only incorporated city; its postal code is 42728. The county holds 1 city and 37 smaller unincorporated communities, and it runs on Central Time. Its FIPS code is 21001.
Towns & Villages in Adair County
Adair County has 38 named places — Columbia and 37 unincorporated communities scattered across the Pennyroyal Plateau. None of the unincorporated places has ever been separately counted by the Census Bureau, so only Columbia carries an official population figure. “Unincorp.” below means a crossroads community with no municipal government of its own.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia | City · seat | 4,845 | 42728 |
| Absher | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Bliss | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Breeding | Unincorp. | — | 42715 |
| Cane Valley | Unincorp. | — | 42720 |
| Casey Creek | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Chance | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Christine | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Coburg | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Craycraft | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Crocus | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Cundiff | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Ella | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Eunice | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Fairplay | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Feathersburg | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Flatwood | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Gadberry | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Garlin | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Glens Fork | Unincorp. | — | 42741 |
| Gradyville | Unincorp. | — | 42742 |
| Holmes | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Inroad | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Joppa | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Kellyville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Keltner | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Knifley | Unincorp. | — | 42753 |
| Milltown | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Montpelier | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Neatsville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Nell | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Ozark | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Pellyton | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Pickett | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Portland | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Purdy | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Sparksville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Toria | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Weed | Unincorp. | — | — |
Crocus sits on the Adair–Russell county line, and part of the settlement is administratively in Russell County — only its Adair County side is listed here. There is no other Adair County place with a name close enough to a neighbouring-county community to cause confusion.
ZIP Codes
- 42728 — Columbia (also serves most of the county’s rural routes)
- 42715 — Breeding
- 42720 — Cane Valley
- 42741 — Glens Fork
- 42742 — Gradyville
- 42753 — Knifley (PO Box delivery only)
The other 32 communities on the table above — among them Sparksville, Milltown, Neatsville and Montpelier — have no post office of their own; mail there is delivered on rural routes out of Columbia or one of the five outlying offices.
Geography
Adair County sits on the Pennyroyal Plateau of south-central Kentucky, a rolling, karst-pocked landscape of sinkholes and low ridges. Land covers 405 of the county’s 412 square miles; the remaining 7.1 square miles is water. Russell Creek, which runs through Columbia, and the Green River are the county’s principal streams, and the upper arms of Green River Lake reach into the county’s northern edge near the Taylor County line. More than 40% of the county remains forested, and it is one of the few places in the country where surviving American chestnut trees have been documented.
Six counties border Adair: Taylor to the north, Casey to the northeast, Russell to the east, Cumberland to the south, Metcalfe to the southwest, and Green to the northwest.
Demographics
Adair County had 18,903 residents at the 2020 census, up to an estimated 19,089 by 2024. Median age is 40.6 years, and population density is about 46.7 people per square mile. Columbia, with 4,845 residents in 2020, is the only place in the county with an official population count; the other 37 communities are unincorporated crossroads with no individually tabulated figures. Median household income is $53,553, well below Kentucky’s statewide median of roughly $60,200, and the poverty rate runs near 18.4%, above both the state and national averages.
Economy & Local Life
Manufacturing is the county’s largest employment sector at about 1,202 workers, followed closely by health care and social assistance at 1,190 and retail trade at 1,065. Lindsey Wilson College, a private Methodist-affiliated university in Columbia offering associate through doctoral degrees, is among the county’s largest institutional employers and draws students from across the region. Downtown Days, a two-day street festival in Columbia, is the county’s biggest annual event: it features a parade, a beauty pageant, a costumed reenactment of the 1872 Bank of Columbia robbery, a 5K run, and a children’s carnival. Columbia Nights, a near-monthly evening shopping event, keeps downtown storefronts open late with discounted merchandise.
History
Adair County was formed on December 11, 1801, from land cut out of Green County, making it Kentucky’s 44th organized county. It is named for John Adair, a Revolutionary War veteran who later served as the state’s eighth governor from 1820 to 1824. The county’s most notorious historical episode came on April 29, 1872, when a gang associated with Jesse James and the Younger brothers robbed the Bank of Columbia and killed cashier R.A.C. Martin — an event still re-enacted every year during Downtown Days. The Adair County Courthouse in Columbia, completed in 1884, remains the seat of county government. The 1973 completion of the Cumberland Parkway, an east–west highway later upgraded toward interstate standard, eased decades of isolation for the county’s rural communities.
Getting There
The Cumberland Parkway (a future spur of Interstate 65 connecting Bowling Green to Somerset) crosses Columbia with two interchanges: Exit 49 at KY 55 South and Exit 47 at KY 61 South. No existing interstate reaches Adair County directly.
- Bowling Green — about 55 miles west via the Cumberland Parkway
- Somerset — about 45 miles east via the Cumberland Parkway
- Louisville — about 95 miles north
- Lexington — about 95 miles northeast
The nearest commercial airport is Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport, roughly 95 miles north; Bowling Green’s regional airport offers limited general-aviation service closer to home. Kentucky’s interior has no Amtrak service; the closest station is Cincinnati Union Terminal on the Cardinal line, about 150 miles north.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Adair County, Kentucky?
It sits on the Pennyroyal Plateau of south-central Kentucky, about 55 miles east of Bowling Green and 95 miles south of Louisville.
What is the population of Adair County?
18,903 at the 2020 census, an estimated 19,089 by 2024.
How big is Adair County?
412 square miles (1,070 km2), of which 405 square miles is land.
What is the county seat of Adair County?
Columbia is the county seat and the county’s only incorporated city.
How many towns and communities are in Adair County?
One incorporated city, Columbia, and 37 unincorporated communities, including Breeding, Knifley, Gradyville, Glens Fork and Cane Valley.
What ZIP codes serve Adair County?
Six: 42728 (Columbia), 42715 (Breeding), 42720 (Cane Valley), 42741 (Glens Fork), 42742 (Gradyville) and 42753 (Knifley).
What college is in Columbia, Kentucky?
Lindsey Wilson College, a private Methodist-affiliated university offering degrees from associate through doctoral level.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Kentucky.